Kopi Luwak Coffee in Bali, Indonesia - What is kopi luwak?
It is actually the worlds most expensive coffee that is found only in
Indonesia. The funny part about this is that the coffee berries are
eaten by the local Asian civet cat and passed through the digestive
system before coming out as droppings and then processed to be this high
grade coffee. Sounds disgusting? Yes and no - I personally went on a
coffee hunt around Southeast Asia trying out some of the regions best
coffee from Borneo, Malaysia, Laos and Vietnam. Finally I had my chance
to try this exquisite coffee during my Bali trip in June 2011.
After
hearing mixed reviews of this exclusive and unique coffee from friends
and travelers, it was finally up to me to pass judgement so during my
Bali trip, every other local person that I met, I would ask them about
where I could get some Kopi Luwak (pronounced as Co-Pee Loo-Wak) and most of the time, the answer would
be 'everywhere'. From souvenir shops to cafes and even to coffee farms.
So my quest began.
Luwak Coffee sold in packets
After
much conservations with taxi drivers, tour guides and even hotel
concierges, I managed to visit a small drink stall that served locals
near the Uluwatu Temple in Bali. A fairly large sign showed that they
sold Coffee Luwak and a variety of other coffees and teas, I did not
hesitate and made my order for a cup of this. Was I excited? I was
ecstatic! It was the highlight of my coffee quest and when the cup came,
I could smell the strong aroma. My personal guide was laughing at me as
he had never seen someone so thrilled to see a cup of coffee. Before
drinking this, my camera flash went off and then the magical moment
came.
The
minute the coffee touched my lips, I felt something surreal, something
that only I could experience after trying the many types of coffee from
around the region. It was very strong but yet aromatic in its own way. I
could not pass immediate judgement therefore I slowly sipped it to
flavor the roast and after-sensation. It was good. So good, I finished
the cup in mere minutes. I looked into the bottom of the cup and was
surprised that it showed coffee residue. Was the water not to boiling
temperature? It could have been according to my guide and therefore he
took it to the shop lady to have half a cup of boiling hot water added
and I had my fill of one and a half cups of this amazing coffee.
Kopi
Luwak here cost 50,000 Rupiahs or US$5.60 a cup and I thought it was
well worth it. The stall even sold sachets of this at the same price
where each pack would make you one cup of coffee. Expensive? Some may
think so but if you truly enjoy exotic coffee, you would easily fork out
that money for the experience. But to buy a pound of this coffee, it
could cost anywhere from US$100 to $600. Souvenirs for friends and
family? Only if you can afford this.
Coffee shop selling Kopi Luwak
Where
to find Kopi Luwak in Bali? There are many places around Bali and
throughout Indonesia that sell them. You have to ask around about this
and your best bet is by talking to the locals. While most souvenir shops
and even supermarkets sell them, you should be careful as there are
many who are just knock-offs and not the real thing. Another option is
to go an a Kopi Luwak Farm Tour where they bring you to see how the
entire process is done. From seeing the rared civet cats, right to the
cleaning process of the beans and then actually tasting the finished
product. I should have gone for this but time did not permit so on my
next trip to Bali, a farm visit is on top of my itinerary.
Kopi Luwak Berries
Remains of the thick coffee luwak
Among some of my favourite coffees from Southeast Asia are the Lao Coffee, Weasel Coffee in Hanoi, Vietnam and Bottle Coffee in Sabah
which I have personally tried throughout my travels. These outstanding local brews make my coffee hunt ever so interesting
where there are only a few more that I am looking forward to try which
include the Kopi Muncak which is made from the dung of the barking deer and the famous Kape (Barako Coffee) from the Philippines. If you have tried any of the above, I would love to hear your opinion.
I have always found local coffee much more interesting compared to the
trendy cafe style coffee like Starbucks and Coffee Bean, I would explore the
many coffee shops around here, especially those who roast their own
beans for business. In Malaysia, there are many local brewers in smaller
towns that produce quality cups of coffee like the famous Ipoh White Coffee and Tenom Coffee in Sabah Borneo.
So for me, traveling around Southeast Asia gave me an opportunity to
try each of the countries brew and one of the best I have tried is the
Kopi Luwak Coffee in Bali, Indonesia.
18 comments:
Heard so much about this Kopi Luwak but still waiting for a chance to try out this expensive coffee...
I don't mind to pay more if the coffee really nice :-)
Yee Ling - Next time you go to Indonesia, make sure you ask for it.
Tina - Kopi Luwak is really nice. Just try it one day.
I don't drink coffee, but wow that's expensive. Worse than Starbucks!
I have heard of this coffee but am not sure I could try it! I'm glad to have your opinion though.
I alwa<y wanted to know about this coffee, now I do, thanks to you. I'm a coffee addict, so this is something I definitely need to try some time.
Much more interesting than Starbucks indeed :)
I hear the coffee in Bali is awesome!
Very interesting.As a coffee lover I always try different roasts from all over the world - whatever I can find.
But from your description I can already tell I'd love it. Great pictures!
I would love to try this coffee Kopi Luwak as long as the preparation and the coffee itself is sanitary and free of any bacteria or germs. My sister who is teaching in Indonesia brought home a pack of this Kopi Luwak before but I didn't have the guts to try it then.
Never heard of this before and now I want some!
Ben - You have to at least try a cup of this when given the chance.
Debbie - It taste way much better than it sounds :)
Inka - You might even get a whole pound of this once you have tried it.
Sophie - For sure! As mentioned, I don't really like cafe-coffee.
Spencer - There's the famous Bali Coffee and this, Weasel Coffee. Try it when you have the chance.
Vasco - Thank you. I hope you have the opportunity to try this in Bali or Vietnam.
U.C.D - It is one of the highly talked about coffee. Even Oprah did a talk about this on her show.
Robin - Next time when you're in Southeast Asia, look this up. Also, gimmi a shout!
really a amazing post so nice and great
Great blog. Really described everything well. I have had Kopi Luwak on a visit to Bali and it really gave me a taste for proper coffee. I wasn't a coffee connessiuer when I visited but have become one since! Would love to go back and tantalise my enhanced taste buds now.
Michael, malaysian coffee seems to be ver nice too. I have heard of some use words such as "awesome" to describe it. There is a place nearby to where I reside, owned by a friend, it's called cafe 748. The coffee there is like nothing I've ever tasted before. It would definitely be tantalising for you. The origin of the name of the cafe is apparently that 7 means "togetherness", 4 means love and 8 is the cafe owners number for his wife. She runs the place and is very nice. They are childhood sweethearts..probably why the coffee is so good! lol.
oh, just to finish this story, 2 can be synonymous with 8 also. i'm so bad with timings of comments, unlike some.i'm like that with photos on fb too! 12 and 2 are 1 was his original concept for the cafe name. Enough of that. coffee there is fabulous anyway.
Coffee luwak/coffee musang (civet coffee) is a milky and has nice flavour. to meet the process and see the civet can be seen at the daily tour in Bali. there are lot of coffee plantation on the way to Kintamani volcano tour and Ulun danu temple tour. Test the coffee luwak for $ 6/cup.
Kopi Luwak is really nice. Just try it one day.
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